The Nation Newspaper

Category: Motoring

  • Mazda MX-5 wins Car of the Year award

    In a close battle, Mazda’s MX-5 held onto its narrow lead to beat the fast-finishing Honda S660 mini-sports car to win the Car of the Year Japan award.

    Mazda MX-5 chief engineer Nobuhiro Yamamoto leads his designers, engineers and media team in celebrating the roadster’s victory.

    At an award ceremony held at the Tokyo International Exchange Centre in Tokyo Bay, the MX-5 sports car tallied 442 votes, beating the Honda S660 mini-coupe by 41 votes when the last of the 60 jurors’ votes were read out. The BMW 2-Series, which came third, totalled 177 votes to pick up the Import Car of the Year gong.

    This win gives the Hiroshima based carmaker back-to-back car of the year trophies after it captured the major prize last year for the Mazda 2.

    In accepting the award, Mazda’s Vice President in charge of Product Planning and Head of the company’s SkyActiv technology R&D, Kiyoshi Fujiwara, said: “We went through some tough times during the financial crisis and 2011 earthquake, but we stuck to our founding principles and created a winning formula. We think the jurors’ response to our MX-5 shows that sports cars are making a strong comeback in Japan. This award means a lot to our development team.”

    A quick examination of the results shows just how close the voting progressed until the winner was finally announced. The Mazda MX-5 polled the maximum 10 votes from 25 of the 60 jurors while the Honda S660 picked up 10 votes each from 22 jurors. Each juror is allocated 25 votes, must give 10 votes to their most highly evaluated model and spread their remaining 15 votes among their next best four cars.

    The  Suzuki Alto picked up the Small Mobility award, while the Tesla Model S, entering the award process for the first time in Japan, won the Innovation award. A split in the voting between several sporty models including the MX-5, S660 and Model S saw no model gain the necessary 200 votes to win the Emotional award, so that trophy was not awarded this year.

  • Stallion NMN unveils Infiniti products

    Stallion NMN unveils Infiniti products

    Stallion NMN, the Nissan brand marketer in Nigeria has announced the inclusion of Infiniti brand amongst its product range.

    The Infiniti brand which was officially introduced in North America in 1989 is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker – Nissan with direct equivalents in the Nissan product line-up.

    More than 200,000 Infiniti vehicles was sold worldwide last year with America’s 133,500 vehicles toping the sales chart followed by China’s 40,000, Canada – 11, 300 and Europe’s 7,000 including unavailable sales data in the Middle East.

    Stallion NMN, who became Nissan brand custodian in May 2013, has already taken delivery of three Infiniti variants including the Q50 (sedan), QX70 and QX80 SUVs respectively and are all available in Stallion NMN accredited Nissan showrooms.

    Addressing the media at the product launch, Stallion NMN Managing Director Parvir Singh said the introduction of Infiniti to Nigeria market is a proof of the company’s commitment to set standards in the local automobile industry.

    Singh said Nissan is a painstakingly engineered brand with vast range of models, cutting across various applications, saying this versatility has placed Nissan well ahead of competition which is currently ranked sixth largest automaker in the world.

    Stallion NMN, he said, hopes to replicate the success in Nigeria by making Nissan one of the  most preferred brands.

    “Our obligation is to make ownership of Nissan product range an exciting experience as we recognise the significance of excellence both in the quality of Nissan vehicles and in after sales service.”

    He said Stallion NMN has trained and is continuing to retrain all her service technicians in multiple auto repair disciplines and will continue to acquaint them extensively in Nissan’s constantly advancing and cutting edge technology.

    Stallion NMN Head of Marketing and Sales Amit Sharma described Infiniti as an award winning brand and a meticulously engineered brand with excellent fuel efficiency and output to deliver exceptional feelings and superb driving response.

    Mr Sharma depicted the Infiniti Q50 as a 3.7litre sedan with 326Hp@7,000rpm producing 361Nm@5,200rpm while QX70 is available in V6 3.7litre and V6 5.0litre engines, with 329Hp@7,000 rpm and 390Hp@6000 rpm respectively. The QX80 is equipped with V8 5.6litre powertrain with 400Hp@5800rpm.

    The engines have aluminium alloy blocks and heads with film coated pistons, he noted.

  • Mazda MX-5 wins Car of the Year award

    Mazda MX-5 wins Car of the Year award

    In a close battle, Mazda’s MX-5 held onto its narrow lead to beat the fast-finishing Honda S660 mini-sports car to win the Car of the Year Japan award.

    Mazda MX-5 chief engineer Nobuhiro Yamamoto leads his designers, engineers and media team in celebrating the roadster’s victory.

    At an award ceremony held at the Tokyo International Exchange Centre in Tokyo Bay, the MX-5 sports car tallied 442 votes, beating the Honda S660 mini-coupe by 41 votes when the last of the 60 jurors’ votes were read out. The BMW 2-Series, which came third, totalled 177 votes to pick up the Import Car of the Year gong.

    This win gives the Hiroshima based carmaker back-to-back car of the year trophies after it captured the major prize last year for the Mazda 2.

    In accepting the award, Mazda’s Vice President in charge of Product Planning and Head of the company’s SkyActiv technology R&D, Kiyoshi Fujiwara, said: “We went through some tough times during the financial crisis and 2011 earthquake, but we stuck to our founding principles and created a winning formula. We think the jurors’ response to our MX-5 shows that sports cars are making a strong comeback in Japan. This award means a lot to our development team.”

    A quick examination of the results shows just how close the voting progressed until the winner was finally announced. The Mazda MX-5 polled the maximum 10 votes from 25 of the 60 jurors while the Honda S660 picked up 10 votes each from 22 jurors. Each juror is allocated 25 votes, must give 10 votes to their most highly evaluated model and spread their remaining 15 votes among their next best four cars.

    The  Suzuki Alto picked up the Small Mobility award, while the Tesla Model S, entering the award process for the first time in Japan, won the Innovation award. A split in the voting between several sporty models including the MX-5, S660 and Model S saw no model gain the necessary 200 votes to win the Emotional award, so that trophy was not awarded this year.

     

    The Car of the Year Japan steering committee’s Special Award was presented to two companies this year. The first award went to Japan’s largest car importer Yanase, an acknowledgement of its 100th year in promoting import car culture nationwide. The second trophy was presented to the Toyota Mirai – which did not meet the criteria – to enter the main award, for its technological achievement in advancing the spread of hydrogen powered fuel-cell vehicles.

  • New driver licence portal: No sabotage, no compromise

    New driver licence portal: No sabotage, no compromise

    The long-awaited and proactive Driver Licence portal system begins today (February 1) nationwide. The main objective of the new driver licence portal is to ensure that before anyone gets the national driver licence, he or she must attend any of the accredited driving schools to acquire the requisite theory and practical training with result-oriented assessments at intervals. Worldwide, this is a very vital component of the Graduated Driver Licence system which the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has gotten right for the first time under the dynamic leadership of Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal.

    How it works – Stage 1 of the new driver licence system involves a candidate going to any of the accredited driving schools listed in the website of the FRSC to undergo the specified theory and practical training. This training is to run for a period of 26 days of 1 hour per day. On completion of the 26 days of training and assessment, an FRSC- coded Certificate will be generated for the candidate (This will put an end to the previous racketeering of driving school certificate and licence which has made it easy for multitudes of people without any knowledge of driving to acquire the driver licence by paying additional money to the saboteurs).

    Under Stage 2 of the new driver licence system, the driving school which the candidate attended will print out the FRSC-coded certificate from the driver licence portal and his or her training records for presentation to the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) who will then subject the candidate to the structured theory and practical test. Successful candidates will proceed to the Stage 3 which involves the payment of the official driver licence fee which for now stands at N6,350.00 and submit the payment details to the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency or the State Board of Internal Revenue.

    Candidates that failed the VIO tests are to be referred back to accredited driving schools for further refresher training and be presented again to the VIS for the second attempt.

    After the payment of the driver licence fee, the candidate will move to stage 4 which involves the Biometric Capturing by FRSC officers for the issuance of the original National Driver Licence.

    This is not a more cumbersome system as some people are insinuating. The only difference between this new system and what was practised in the past four years is that the sales, cloning and forgery of driving school certificates for the racketeering of driver licence which was a high degree of fraud and corruption will no more be possible under this new system. Hence the current direct and indirect protests by the beneficiaries of the previous corrupt practices who are bent on doing the evil business as usual not minding the dent on the image of Nigeria and the high rate of road accidents and fatalities, partly fuelled by the rots in the previous driver licence system.

    It’s already global news that in 2015, Nigeria was rated the third country with the highest rate of road accidents and one of the most dangerous countries to drive.

     

     

    With the uncompromised implementation of this new portal system, there will be tremendous improvement in driver education which if complemented with unbiased traffic law enforcement will drastically reduce the rate of road accidents and fatalities in Nigeria.

    As the National President of the Association of Driving Instructors of Nigeria (umbrella body of Driving Schools and Driving Instructors in Nigeria), I have been receiving reports from some states that some Officials of MVAA/ State Board of Internal Revenue, FRSC and VIS are strategising to sabotage the good efforts of the Corps Marshal/Chief Executive of FRSC and his amiable Team on this result- oriented portal. The 36 State Governors, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and the Honourable Commissioners of Transport should not allow themselves to be misled by the self-centred and corrupt elements in those Agencies. Whatever argument they are putting across against the new portal now are not in the interest of the nation but for their personal pockets. To confirm this, let the Economic Crimes and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigate randomly chosen driver licence processed under the former system. You will discover cases of people who did not know how to drive, disabled people, and under-aged people who paid between N15,000 and N25,000 to these officers who either bought, cloned, forged or dubiously printed driving school certificates to process the driver licence without allowing them to go for formal training in the driving Schools. Many of these officers have corruptly enriched themselves beyond imagination through the loopholes they created in the previous driver licence processing system. Hence their resolve to cunningly kick against the successful take-off and running of this new Driver Licence Portal.

    The Driving Schools, who for many years now have been wickedly short-changed by some officers of MVAA/State Board of Internal Revenue, VIO/VIS and FRSC are determined not to allow anything nor anyone to work against the successful use of this new portal. Our Association is championing the establishment of Monitoring and Evaluation Committee charged with the responsibility of identifying any act of compromise among all the stakeholders under the new Driver licence processing system and recommends such for prosecution by EFCC. The present Government of President Muhammadu Buhari is waging a commendable war against corruption in Nigeria and corruption must not be allowed to thrive in the driver licence system as well.

    Nigerians, no matter the status or influence must endeavor to follow due process. We must stop looking for illegal and corrupt shortcuts, particularly on issues that have to do with the safety of lives. The only journey that starts from the top down is the journey into the grave.

    Driving Schools must co-operate with the Association of Driving Instructors of Nigeria (ADIN) and FRSC to regularly improve their capacity for quality theory and practical training for Freshers or Learners as well as experienced Driver re-training.

    While saying another big WELL DONE to FRSC, I implore the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive to establish a FEEDBACK LOOP MECHANISM for regular monitoring or review of the Portal to ensure there is no loophole nor any counter-productive short-coming in the operation of the new Driver Licence Portal.

    The loss of irreparable lives and  valuable properties which has become too common on Nigeria roads must be drastically reduced or eliminated by  putting national interest above selfish of personal interest as it were. The Governments, Government Agencies, Driving Schools and all Nigerians must get more committed to the accomplishment of the 5 pillars of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.  And join hands with the new Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to ensure the success of the new Driver licence Portal and subsequently, safety on Nigeria roads.

  • Audi S5: stylish, refined

    Audi S5: stylish, refined

    The 2016 Audi S5 is remarkably easy to drive; power from the supercharged V6 is awesome and unlike many V6 engines, this one is virtually vibration-free, even at redline. The standard steering system manages to be both calm on the highway and responsive in turns, writes TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO

    If one is considering a sport-luxury coupe or convertible, you are probably looking for invigorating performance, sexy styling and a refined, intimate cabin. The 2016 Audi S5 delivers in all of those areas. Based on the regular four-cylinder A5, the S5 turns up the heat with a supercharged V6 that provides blistering acceleration. It also boasts a tauter suspension, bigger brakes and subtle aesthetic upgrades inside and out that convey the car’s sporting intent.

    The 2016 Audi S5’s eye-catching yet restrained styling is the perfect complement to its refined performance.

    But the S5 isn’t the kind of performance car that feels amped up all the time. With its supple ride, effective noise insulation and supportive seats, the Audi also excels on long road trips and in everyday driving. All-wheel drive is standard, of course, so if one live in a snowbelt state, there is no need to garage your S5 for the winter. And if is about fuel economy, the S5 returns up to 21 mpg in combined city/highway driving, which is impressive for a car with this kind of zip.

    Drawbacks are few but notable. For one thing, the cramped backseat is better for personal items than people, though that is not too unusual for this type of vehicle. For another, the S5 has been around for a while, and its technology offerings are showing their age. The base Premium Plus trim doesn’t come standard with Bluetooth audio, for example, and it also gets a basic version of the MMI infotainment system with awkward dash-mounted controls. Users will need to add the expensive technology package or spring for the Prestige trim in order to rectify these flaws, and either way, one still stuck with Audi’s proprietary digital music interface instead of the USB connectivity that most rivals include.

     

    Body styles

     

    The 2016 Audi S5 is offered in coupe and convertible (cabriolet) body styles. The latter features a power-operated soft top and a wind blocker. Both are available in Premium Plus and Prestige trim levels.

    Available as a coupe or convertible, the Audi S5 is just as easy to live with everyday as it is thrilling to pilot around turns.

    Standard Premium Plus features include 18-inch wheels with summer tires, xenon headlights, LED running lights and taillights, an S5-specific body kit, auto-dimming mirrors with exterior heating, keyless entry and ignition, selectable driving settings (known as Audi Drive Select), shift paddles for the automatic transmission, tri-zone automatic climate control, heated eight-way power front sport seats (with four-way power lumbar), driver memory functions, a color driver information center, a Bang and Olufsen sound system, Bluetooth phone connectivity, a dash-mounted MMI electronics controller, a 6.5-inch display, a CD player, Audi’s proprietary digital music interface (with an iPod cable), a SD card slot and satellite radio.

    In addition, the coupe gets a tilt-only sunroof, leather and simulated suede upholstery and 60/40-split folding rear seatbacks, while the convertible gets premium leather upholstery and 50/50-split folding rear seatbacks.

    The Prestige trim adds adaptive headlights and the technology package, which includes Bluetooth streaming audio, Audi Connect with online services and mobile WiFi, a navigation system, voice controls, an upgraded MMI system with a larger display and console-mounted controls, a CD player, HD radio, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera and a blind-spot monitor. The technology package can also be added to the Premium Plus trim as an option.

    Going with the Prestige also lets user opts for the driver assistance package, which adds adaptive steering and adaptive cruise control with a forward collision mitigation system. Prestige coupes are additionally eligible for a Luxury package, which adds comfort front seats with less aggressive bolstering and upgraded leather upholstery with extended coverage.

    All coupes can be equipped with a Black Optic package that includes special 19-inch wheels, high-gloss black exterior trim, body-color exterior mirrors and the upgraded leather upholstery that is in the convertible. New for 2016 is a coupe-only Black Optic Plus package that adds 20-inch wheels and gloss-black exterior mirrors.

    All convertibles, meanwhile, are eligible for a comfort package that features ventilated comfort front seats with perforated leather upholstery and a neck-level heating system.

     

    Powertrains and performance

     

    The Audi S5 is motivated by a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine rated at 333 hp and 325 pound-feet of torque. The coupe comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission. A seven-speed automated manual transmission is optional on the coupe and standard on the Cabriolet. Every S5 features all-wheel drive, which can be enhanced with an optional sport differential that actively distributes torque between the rear wheels for optimal cornering precision.

    An S5 coupe equipped with the automated manual transmission (and pre-programmed launch mode) accelerated from a standstill to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. The convertible did the same job in a competitive 5.3 seconds.

    The convertible also achieves 21 mpg combined (18 city/26 highway). A coupe with the automated manual registered a surprising 23 mpg on the diverse 120-mile.

     

    Safety

     

    The S5 comes standard with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side and knee airbags and (in the coupe) full-length side curtain airbags. A blind-spot monitoring system, a rear-view camera and front and rear parking sensors are included in the Technology package, which is standard on the Prestige trim and optional on Premium Plus. In addition, the Prestige trim can be optionally equipped with an adaptive cruise control system (via the Driver Assistance package) that includes an audible warning if a frontal impact is imminent and automatic brake application if necessary.

     

    Interior design and special features

     

    The S5’s highly appealing interior boasts a tastefully understated design and high-quality materials. There are some functional shortcomings, however. The dash-mounted MMI controller that is standard on the Premium Plus trim, for example, isn’t nearly as easy to operate as the console-mounted controller you get with the upgraded system in the technology package. That system also features simplified menus, a slightly larger screen and Bluetooth streaming audio. USB connectivity, however, is unavailable.

    The S5’s sophisticated cabin boasts high-quality materials and supportive seats.

    The S5’s standard front sport seats are quite comfortable on long road trips, while also providing plenty of lateral support to keep driver planted during hard cornering.

     

  • Toyota remains top-selling automaker

    Toyota remains top-selling automaker

    •Sells 10.15M vehicles

    Toyota Motor Corporation has said it sold 10.151 million vehicles in 2015, retaining its status as the world’s top-selling automaker for the fourth straight year.

    The sales figure compared with 2015 sales of 9.93 million vehicles for Volkswagen AG and 9.8 million for General Motors.

    Toyota, which makes the Prius hybrid, Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models, has forecast sales at 10.114 million vehicles in 2016. Its actual sales in 2015 beat its forecast for sales of 10.098 million vehicles.

    Volkswagen AG, which overtook Toyota in sales in the first half of the year, suffered in the second half from an emissions cheating scandal involving diesel cars.

    Auto sales in major markets such as the U.S. and Japan have slowed, while emerging markets that had sustained growth in recent years, such as Thailand and Indonesia, have weakened.

    In 2014, Toyota sold 10.23 million vehicles, Volkswagen sold 10.14 million vehicles, and General Motors was third at 9.92 million vehicles.

    Detroit-based GM, which makes Cadillacs, Chevrolets, Buicks and Opels, was the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades until being surpassed by Toyota in 2008.

    GM retook the sales crown for one year in 2011, when a tsunami and quake disaster struck Northeastern Japan, disrupting production.

  • Audi S5: stylish, refined

    Audi S5: stylish, refined

    The 2016 Audi S5 is remarkably easy to drive; power from the supercharged V6 is awesome and unlike many V6 engines, this one is virtually vibration-free, even at redline. The standard steering system manages to be both calm on the highway and responsive in turns, writes TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO

    If one is considering a sport-luxury coupe or convertible, you are probably looking for invigorating performance, sexy styling and a refined, intimate cabin. The 2016 Audi S5 delivers in all of those areas. Based on the regular four-cylinder A5, the S5 turns up the heat with a supercharged V6 that provides blistering acceleration. It also boasts a tauter suspension, bigger brakes and subtle aesthetic upgrades inside and out that convey the car’s sporting intent.

    The 2016 Audi S5’s eye-catching yet restrained styling is the perfect complement to its refined performance.

    But the S5 isn’t the kind of performance car that feels amped up all the time. With its supple ride, effective noise insulation and supportive seats, the Audi also excels on long road trips and in everyday driving. All-wheel drive is standard, of course, so if one live in a snowbelt state, there is no need to garage your S5 for the winter. And if is about fuel economy, the S5 returns up to 21 mpg in combined city/highway driving, which is impressive for a car with this kind of zip.

    Drawbacks are few but notable. For one thing, the cramped backseat is better for personal items than people, though that is not too unusual for this type of vehicle. For another, the S5 has been around for a while, and its technology offerings are showing their age. The base Premium Plus trim doesn’t come standard with Bluetooth audio, for example, and it also gets a basic version of the MMI infotainment system with awkward dash-mounted controls. Users will need to add the expensive technology package or spring for the Prestige trim in order to rectify these flaws, and either way, one still stuck with Audi’s proprietary digital music interface instead of the USB connectivity that most rivals include.

     

    Body styles

     

    The 2016 Audi S5 is offered in coupe and convertible (cabriolet) body styles. The latter features a power-operated soft top and a wind blocker. Both are available in Premium Plus and Prestige trim levels.

    Available as a coupe or convertible, the Audi S5 is just as easy to live with everyday as it is thrilling to pilot around turns.

    Standard Premium Plus features include 18-inch wheels with summer tires, xenon headlights, LED running lights and taillights, an S5-specific body kit, auto-dimming mirrors with exterior heating, keyless entry and ignition, selectable driving settings (known as Audi Drive Select), shift paddles for the automatic transmission, tri-zone automatic climate control, heated eight-way power front sport seats (with four-way power lumbar), driver memory functions, a color driver information center, a Bang and Olufsen sound system, Bluetooth phone connectivity, a dash-mounted MMI electronics controller, a 6.5-inch display, a CD player, Audi’s proprietary digital music interface (with an iPod cable), a SD card slot and satellite radio.

    In addition, the coupe gets a tilt-only sunroof, leather and simulated suede upholstery and 60/40-split folding rear seatbacks, while the convertible gets premium leather upholstery and 50/50-split folding rear seatbacks.

    The Prestige trim adds adaptive headlights and the technology package, which includes Bluetooth streaming audio, Audi Connect with online services and mobile WiFi, a navigation system, voice controls, an upgraded MMI system with a larger display and console-mounted controls, a CD player, HD radio, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera and a blind-spot monitor. The technology package can also be added to the Premium Plus trim as an option.

    Going with the Prestige also lets user opts for the driver assistance package, which adds adaptive steering and adaptive cruise control with a forward collision mitigation system. Prestige coupes are additionally eligible for a Luxury package, which adds comfort front seats with less aggressive bolstering and upgraded leather upholstery with extended coverage.

    All coupes can be equipped with a Black Optic package that includes special 19-inch wheels, high-gloss black exterior trim, body-color exterior mirrors and the upgraded leather upholstery that is in the convertible. New for 2016 is a coupe-only Black Optic Plus package that adds 20-inch wheels and gloss-black exterior mirrors.

    All convertibles, meanwhile, are eligible for a comfort package that features ventilated comfort front seats with perforated leather upholstery and a neck-level heating system.

     

    Powertrains and performance

     

    The Audi S5 is motivated by a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine rated at 333 hp and 325 pound-feet of torque. The coupe comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission. A seven-speed automated manual transmission is optional on the coupe and standard on the Cabriolet. Every S5 features all-wheel drive, which can be enhanced with an optional sport differential that actively distributes torque between the rear wheels for optimal cornering precision.

    An S5 coupe equipped with the automated manual transmission (and pre-programmed launch mode) accelerated from a standstill to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. The convertible did the same job in a competitive 5.3 seconds.

    The convertible also achieves 21 mpg combined (18 city/26 highway). A coupe with the automated manual registered a surprising 23 mpg on the diverse 120-mile.

     

    Safety

     

    The S5 comes standard with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side and knee airbags and (in the coupe) full-length side curtain airbags. A blind-spot monitoring system, a rear-view camera and front and rear parking sensors are included in the Technology package, which is standard on the Prestige trim and optional on Premium Plus. In addition, the Prestige trim can be optionally equipped with an adaptive cruise control system (via the Driver Assistance package) that includes an audible warning if a frontal impact is imminent and automatic brake application if necessary.

     

    Interior design and special features

     

    The S5’s highly appealing interior boasts a tastefully understated design and high-quality materials. There are some functional shortcomings, however. The dash-mounted MMI controller that is standard on the Premium Plus trim, for example, isn’t nearly as easy to operate as the console-mounted controller you get with the upgraded system in the technology package. That system also features simplified menus, a slightly larger screen and Bluetooth streaming audio. USB connectivity, however, is unavailable.

    The S5’s sophisticated cabin boasts high-quality materials and supportive seats.

    The S5’s standard front sport seats are quite comfortable on long road trips, while also providing plenty of lateral support to keep driver planted during hard cornering.

  • Lagos inaugurates estate’s N14m road

    Lagos inaugurates estate’s N14m road

    Lagos State Government has praised the residents of Abimbola Awoluyi Estate for completing a N14-million road project.

    Commissioner for the Environment Samuel Adejare, who opened the road, described it as a landmark.

    He urged other communities to emulate the estate’s leadership rather than waiting or depending on the government.

    The Abimbola Awoluyi Estate situated around Oko-Oba/Abule-Egba was a path before the construction.

    Under the supervision of its Chairman, Mr Tayo Orekoya, the residents constructed three roads namely Peace Boulevard, Love Avenue and Association Close

    The roads, which were in deplorable state before the construction, waere financed by the residents of the estate.

    Abimbola Awoluyi Estate Residents Association Chairman, Mr Dayo Akinola said the idea to construct the road was welcomed by the members of the estate who had already concluded plans for constructing the road with interlocking stones until an engineer suggested otherwise.

    He said the project was carried out in two years.

    Akinola thanked the residents for their cooperation and voluntary donations towards the completion of the roads.

    He appealed to the government to assist them with providing security.

  • Chinese firm, FAW open Assembly plant

    Chinese firm, FAW open Assembly plant

    • Targets 1000 Trucks yearly

    An auto firm, Perfection Motors Company Limited   and FAW, China, have established a Semi-Knock Down (SKD) auto assembly in Lagos.

    The plant can produce about 1,000 vehicles yearly.

    General Manager, Perfection Motors Company Limited, Mr. Adrian Fourie, spoke at the opening of the new FAW showroom, workshop and SKD auto plant in Ikeja.

    He said the company supports  the Federal Government’s auto policy unveiled about two years ago.

    “In view of the fact that we will outgrow this assembly line in the next three years, we will be breaking ground on the future CKD (Complete Knock Down) assembly plant in Ogiju, with construction starting later this year,” Fourie said.

    Perfection Motors Company Limited is a member of the Lee group in Nigeria.

    Fourie said the company is positioned to provide “First-class sales, after-sales and spare parts”.

    “Partnering with FAW has given us the confidence to invest, as you know, we are bringing a quality brand to Nigeria. We believe that the Nigerian public deserve the best as far as price and quality are concerned,” he added.

    Fourie said: “With over 50 years of experience and over 200 vehicles on the road, our group truly understand the needs of the Nigerian people and the Nigeria transport industry as a whole”.

    Dealership network, he added, would be established in Kano, Kaduna, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

    Managing Director of FAW, China, Wang Zhi Jian, who was at the event and the Chairman of Lee Group, S.F Lee, said his company is delighted to work with the Lee Group in Nigeria, noting that after South Africa and Kenya, Nigeria is the third African country with the FAW’s presence in Africa.

    Acting Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, Li Yong, said FAW is a well- established Chinese auto brand with international reckoning, which will compete in the market.

    The Director of Policy and Planning, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr. Luqman Mamudu, said the assembly line would create more jobs.

  • New plate number and crime

    Whenever we are talking about safety on our roads, the security of lives and properties on the roads is also germane.

    By my assessment, the new plate number system in Nigeria has some features that need to be revisited by all the stakeholders, including all the security agencies.

    As it is, if you sell your car, the plate number on the car, which was registered in your name, is expected to be removed and kept by you for another car which you buy later in the future. The buyer is expected to process his own new number plate for the second-hand car. The question is: What happens to the old or new plate numbers? They could be accessed and used by criminals on vehicles not yet registered. If the numbers are picked at the scene of any crime or incident, it will only be traced to the person who has removed it from a vehicle years back. Let us see the case the Nigerian Embassy is facing in Saudi Arabia where the offences committed by drivers of the vehicles that have been sold many years back are still being charged against the Embassy simply because the cars were initially registered in the name of the Embassy.

    I suggest that every plate number should be allowed to die with the vehicle it is registered for, no matter how many hands it has passed through in sales.This does not hinder the Biometric Data Capturing system. The change of Ownership system should be made more effective to have good and up to date records of the owner of the vehicle at any point in time. This observation should be subjected to further brainstorming sessions.

    Secondly, the new plate number fades off easily. With use, some numbers are no more visible enough to be picked in cases of crime or any other incidence. Some are even partially covered with plate number holders. The right paint than cannot bleach or fade should be used. The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the state governments involved in the production of Driver Licence should improve on the quality and durability of the plate numbers.

    The governments or relevant government agencies should pay attention to street planning and house address system to further complement the new plate number programme and other biometric data capturing schemes in Nigeria.

    For example, there is no need for road traffic offenders to pursued on the road when there is well designed house address system which will make it easy to trace the offender to his or her address as it happens in the United Kingdom(UK) and other places

    In view of the observations, I also suggest that the Federal Ministry of Transport should include these points in its deliberations with the stakeholders while those concerned should work on the criminal or security aspects of the new plate number system.